White Lion is East Anglia Cider Pub of the Year 2012

The White Lion in Norwich, has been awarded the title CAMRA's East Anglia Regional Cider Pub of The Year 2012.

It is run by Ben Ackers and Becky Lakerman-Turner, who have only been running the pub for 7 months.  They regularly have over 15 real ciders and perries available from Norfolk, East Anglia and beyond.

Ben Ackers said: "We are delighted to win this award.  Becky has always been a cider drinker, volunteering for the cider bar at the Cambridge Beer Festival for a fifth consecutive year.

"I have grown to appreciate how popular real cider is from my previous experience at two other pubs.  The Norfolk and Norwich branch of CAMRA has been so friendly and very welcoming to us, and we'd like to thank them for their constant enthusiasm and support.

"We would like to thank our staff who have committed themselves fully to promoting real cider and helping customers with recommendations."

Chris Rouse, CAMRA's Regional Cider Co-ordinator for East Anglia said: "It is so refreshing to see new landlords getting into real cider and perry in a big way."

Second place went to the Odd One Out in Colchester, Essex, which was the previous holder of the awarded.  Third place went to the Railway Arms, on the Railway Station at Downham Market, Norfolk.

Fat Cat is CAMRA's Norfolk Pub of the Year 2012

CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, has today announced that the Fat Cat, Norwich, has been judged as Norfolk Pub of the Year 2012.

Owned by Colin Keatley, the Fat Cat, which normally has over 25 real ales available, is described in the Good Beer Guide as “An outstanding example of what a real ale pub should be like” and “A beer lover’s paradise that no visitor to Norwich should miss”.

Colin Keatley said: "I’m overwhelmed to be chosen – after 20 years in the trade and against such great opposition it’s a real honour".

Two pubs were judged as part of the Norfolk competition. the Union Jack in Roydon, which is the West Norfolk CAMRA branch Pub of the Year, and the Fat Cat.

Andrea Briers, East Anglia Regional Director, said: “The two pubs in this year’s competition are excellent, thriving local pubs which lead to a very close result. It shows the dedication of all those involved in running the pubs. Well done to Colin Keatley and the team at the Fat Cat.”

The Fat Cat will now go forward to the East Anglia regional pub of the year competition. The full list of pubs in that competition is:

Bedfordshire – Albion, Ampthill (GBG pg.34)
Cambridgeshire – The Letter B, Whittlesey (GBG pg.65)
Essex – Compasses, Littley Green (GBG pg.159)
Hertfordshire – Land of Liberty, Peace and Plenty, Heronsgate (GBG pg.201)
Norfolk – Fat Cat, Norwich (GBG Pg.348)
Suffolk – Rumburgh Buck,  Rumburgh (GBG pg. 428)

35th Norwich Beer Festival logo unveiled

Norwich & Norfolk Campaign For Real Ale has unveiled the winning logo for the 35th Norwich Beer Festival.

As usual we had many fine entries from all ages, including several newcomers who pitted their designs against our competition regulars. With a large number of entries, the judging process was again lengthy and difficult with many logo designs having significant merit.

After due deliberation, a final short list of two designs were selected, with one particular design really standing out from the others.

Anthony Miles’ design of a dragon on a diamond finally won through and was declared the winning design, after careful consideration as to how the designs could be worked up to promote the festival on its usual range of merchandise of glasses and t-shirts.

Festival Organiser, Martin Ward, and Competition Co-ordinator, Sadie Skipworth, decided not to reveal the identity of the logo designers initially to the festival meeting tasked with voting for the logo just in case there were any complaints of “favouritism” as one of the entrants, and the eventual winner, just happened to be on the organising committee of the festival.

Mr Miles was quite shocked when he was told that he had won. After thinking of entering the competition for a few years, he finally put pixels onto screen and submitted a very topical design in the year of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, as well as it being the branch's 35th festival making it one of the longest running CAMRA Beer Festivals in the country.